Contradiction |
Music Terms

Contradiction |

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German Gegenstimme, Gegensatz, Kontrasubjekt – the opposite; the latter term may also denote the second theme of the fugue

1) Counterpoint to the first answer in the fugue, etc. imitative forms, sounding at the end of the theme in the same voice. Following the theme and P. two fundamentals differ. case: a) P. is a direct continuation of the theme, following it without a clearly perceptible stop, caesura, regardless of whether it is possible to accurately establish the moment of completion of the theme (for example, in the C-dur fugue from vol. 1 “The Well-Tempered Clavier” by I. C. Bach) or not (for example, in the 1st exposition, op. fugues in C minor op. 101 No 3 Glazunov); b) P. separated from the theme by a caesura, a cadenza, which is obvious to the ear (for example, in the h-moll fugue from t. 1 of the same Bach cycle), sometimes even with an intensified pause (for example, in the D-dur fugue from fp. cycle “24 Preludes and Fugues” by Shchedrin); in addition, in some cases, the topic and P. connected by a bunch, or codette (for example, in the Es-dur fugue from the so-called. 1 Bach cycle). AP may start at the same time. with an answer (frequent case; e.g., in the A-dur fugue from Vol. 2 Well-Tempered Clavier by Bach; in the cis-moll fugue from vol. 1, the beginning of the answer coincides with the first sound of P., which at the same time is the last sound of the theme), after the beginning of the answer (for example, in the E-dur fugue from t. 1 of the mentioned Bach cycle – 4 quarters after the stretto entry of the answer), sometimes before the entry of the answer (for example, in the Cis-dur fugue from vol. 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier – four sixteenths earlier than the answer). In the best polyphonic samples of P. satisfies rather contradictory conditions: it sets off, makes the incoming voice more prominent, but does not lose its melodic quality. individuality, contrasts with the response (primarily rhythmically), although it usually does not contain completely independent. thematic. material. P., as a rule, is a natural melodic. continuation of the theme and in many cases is based on the development, transformation of its motives. Such a transformation can be quite distinct and obvious: for example, in the g-moll fugue from vol. 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, the initial motive of the answer is counterpointed by the part of P., formed from the cadenza turn of the theme, and, conversely, the cadence part of the answer is counterpunctuated by others. part P., based on the initial element of the theme. In other cases of dependence P. from the material of the theme manifests itself more indirectly: for example, in the c-moll fugue from vol. 1 of the same Op. Baha P. grows out of the metrical reference line of the theme (a descending movement from the XNUMXth step to the XNUMXrd, formed by sounds falling on the strong and relatively strong beats of the bar). Sometimes in P. the composer retains the movement of the codette (for example, in the fugue from Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue). In fugues or imitative forms written on the basis of the principles of dodecaphony, the unity and dependence of the material of the theme and P. relatively easily provided by the use in P. certain options. row. For example, in the fugue from the finale of Karaev’s 3rd symphony, the first (see. number 6) and the second (number 7, counter-exposure of the fugue) retained by P. are modifications of the series. Along with the indicated type of melody, the correlation of the theme and P. there are P., based on a relatively new (for example, in the f-moll fugue from the so-called. 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier), and sometimes in contrasting material with respect to the theme (for example, in the fugue from the sonata C-dur for solo violin by I. C. Bach; here under the influence of P. somewhat chromatized response to diatonic. topic). This kind of P. – ceteris paribus – are more often separated from the theme by a cadenza and usually become an active new element in the structure of the fugue. Yes, P. is a developing and thematically important form element in the gis-moll double fugue from Vol. 2 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, where the 2nd theme sounds like a melody derived from P. to the 1st topic, as a result of the length. polyphonic. development. There are frequent cases when, on the material of P. fugue interludes are built, which increases the role of P. in form the more significant these interludes. For example, in the c-moll fugue from vol. 1 cycle of Bach interludes on the material of both P. are polyphonic. options; in the d-moll fugue from the same volume, the transfer of the material of the interlude and the theme from the key of the dominant (in bars 15-21) to the main key (from bar 36) creates sonata ratios in the form. AP in the fugue from the suite “The Tomb of Couperin” is used by M. Ravel is actually on an equal footing with the theme: on its basis, interludes are built using the appeal, P. forms strets. In him. in musicology, the terms Gegensatz, Kontrasubjekt denote Ch. arr. P., preserved (in whole or in part) during all or many implementations of the theme (in some cases, not excluding even the stretto – see, for example, the reprise of the fugue from op. quintet g-moll Shostakovich, number 35, where the theme and P. form a 4-goal. double canon of the 2nd category). Similar P. called retained, they always meet the conditions of double counterpoint with the theme (in some old manuals on polyphony, for example. in the textbook G. Bellermann, fugues with retained P. are defined as double, which does not correspond to the currently accepted terminology). In fugues with retained P. in general, others are less commonly used. contrapuntal means. processing of the material, since attention is transferred to ch. arr. of systematist. showing options for the relationship between the topic and P., which is what expresses. the meaning of this widespread compositional technique (in Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, for example, approximately half of the fugues contain a retained P.); so, the dazzling sound of the choral 5-goal. fugue “Et in terra pax” No 4 in Gloria from Bach’s mass in h-moll is largely achieved precisely by the repeated juxtaposition of the theme and those retained by P. Extraordinary contrapuntal. fugues with two differ in saturation (for example, fugues c-moll and h-moll from the so-called. 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Shostakovich’s Fugue in C-dur) and especially with the three retained P. (for example, fugues in e-moll, As-dur by Shostakovich; to 4-goal.

2) In a broader sense, P. is a counterpoint to any presentation of a theme in imitative forms; from this point of view, P. can be called counterpoint to the 2nd theme in the prologue of Myaskovsky’s 21st symphony (see figure 1); in the same place (number 3) P. to the 1st topic are the upper voices, forming the 2nd goal. canon into an octave with tertian doublings. In addition, P. is sometimes called any voice that is opposed to another, melodically dominant. In this sense, the term “P.” close to one of the meanings of the concept of “counterpoint” (for example, the initial presentation of the theme in the 1st song of the Vedenets guest from the opera “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov).

References: see under Art. Fugue.

V. P. Frayonov

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